Key Species

More About Species

Hawai'i, American Samoa, the Marianas, and Remote Pacific Islands are filled with a rich variety of landscapes and habitats, and are home to an amazing array of wildlife and plants found no where else. We have focus areas to work locally with partners to conserve natural resources for wildlife and people alike. Choose an area below to explore.

Key Places

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is at the forefront of applying the best known science to our conservation work. Explore some of the key conservation work we're conducting in Hawai'i, American Samoa, the Marianas, and the Remote Pacific Islands.

Key Efforts

Environmental Contaminants

Contaminants specialists review environmental documents, legislation, regulations, and permits and licenses with pollution potential to ensure that harmful effects on fish, wildlife, and plants are avoided or minimized.

Some examples include:

(1) analysis of documents and permits related to control of nonpoint source pollution from agriculture and urban runoff, point source pollution from industrial and municipal waste treatment facilities, and discharges of dredge and fill material;

(3) review of EPA pesticide registration proposals to ensure that potential impacts to fish and wildlife are considered; and,

(4) review of pesticide use on FWS lands to ensure these chemicals are properly applied and, in some cases, to recommend the use of acceptable alternatives.

Contaminants Identification and Assessment

Service environmental contaminant specialists conduct field studies to determine sources of pollution, to investigate pollution effects on fish and wildlife and their habitat, and to investigate fish and wildlife die-offs. Sites typically assessed include those impacted by pesticides, industrial wastes, oil and hazardous waste spills, and drain water from agricultural irrigation and mining, as well as Superfund sites and other sites contaminated at some time in the past. Contaminants specialists have also developed tools such as the Contaminants Assessment Process (CAP), which was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division's Biomonitoring of Environmental Status and Trends (BEST) Program, to assist in evaluating contaminant threats to national wildlife refuges, as well as other Service lands. In addition, field specialists conduct contaminant surveys prior to the Service buying new lands.

Contaminant Cleanup and Resource Restoration

Data collected in contaminant assessments is often used to secure compensation for resources lost or degraded by hazardous waste releases or spills. These efforts are part of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program. The Service also takes part, through contaminants identification, assessment, planning and restoration, in the Department of Interior's National Irrigation Water Quality Program (NIWQP). Contaminant specialist are often called in by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPS), U.S. Coast Guard, or various other Federal or State agencies responsible for cleaning up a contaminated area, to ensure that fish and wildlife and their habitat are adequately protected during, and upon completion of, the cleanup. Contaminants specialists also work closely with National Wildlife Refuge managers to design and implement actions to cleanup oil and hazardous material on refuge lands.

Related pages

Did you know that Oahu tree snails, or Kahuli, are hermaphrodites? Did you also know that they can live up to ten years? However, low reproductive rate and other factors like predation and habitat loss have led Kahuli to become endangered or extinct.